But Nichols has come a long way. In a recent speech the founder gave at Valley Youth House in Allentown, Pa., Nichols spoke about his upbringing — his experience with foster care, life in a single-parent household and his immigrant parents — with 100 former foster, homeless and underserved youth.

“I’ve slept on a mattress with no bed frame, no headboard, just a mattress on a floor of a dark, dingy warehouse with no shower, no kitchen and barely and sunlight,” said Nichols. “Invisible to the world, government, family, friends and society.”